UN Votes to Replace Mercator Map with Projection Reflecting True Size of Africa

Key facts

• The UN General Assembly voted to adopt the Equal Earth projection.
• The vote was 164 in favor and 1 against.
• The new projection aims to more accurately represent the size of continents, particularly Africa.
• The Mercator map projection will be replaced.
• The US was the sole dissenter in the vote.
• The UN resolution is not legally binding.

The United Nations General Assembly has voted to support a new map projection that more accurately depicts the size of continents, particularly Africa. The resolution, which passed with a 164-1 vote, aims to replace the widely used Mercator projection. The Mercator projection, created in 1569, distorts the size of landmasses, making countries near the poles appear much larger than they are relative to equatorial regions. Africa, for example, appears significantly smaller on a Mercator map than its actual size. The UN's adoption of a new map projection is not legally binding but serves as a recommendation and a symbolic shift towards more accurate global representation.